THE MODERN MINT BLOG
“No-one had ever seen anything like it. We were using perennials in a kind of meadow-like way, that was very …
James Van Sweden
This video is of Monty Don talking to the late garden designer James Van Sweden. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpn08JoNFFQ He was known, in partnership with Wolfgang Oehme, to have created the ‘New American Garden’ style – think tall grasses, great swathes of perennials and a wilder, more natural look. Pretty much the opposite of how we think of American gardens, with their tightly mowed lawns that are weedkilled, fed and watered all summer long. “Don’t put in three, put in 300… you have to think big. Think huge leaves, enormous grasses and flowers big as dinner plates. The worst thing you can do is …
Dr Seuss & Amalia Robredo
Amalia Robredo took part in our Chelsea Fringe project at the start of June. Now here is an update, from Uruguay, of her landscape… Those in the Southern Hemisphere are now in Autumn and heading for Winter. Yet looking at the photo the scene looks warm and inviting. As does the sea… Looking back over the photos from earlier in June, things don’t appear to have changed. Apart from the Cereus uruguayanus losing its fruits to the birds. Yet, almost imperceptibly, the scene now has a more bleached, paler look. Even the light seems to be changing. Yes… looking closely, things …
Family Garden Ideas
Here are more family garden ideas for those with children who want to know how they can improve their garden. This is a follow-up to a post we wrote a few days ago (and which opened up a lot of discussion) on Child Friendly Gardens. The most important design idea is to have a place where you can relax and they can play. This could be a good-sized terrace to sit on with a comfy chair, while they have a space specifically for them within eyesight and easy reach. Think about what garden furniture you get too – not too …